Frist Splits with Bush over Stem Cell Support

Bill Frist's decision to support a bill to expand federal financing for embryonic stem cell research in all likelyhood with have a negative effect regarding his position as Senate majority leader.

The chairman of Duke University's political science departmentsaid that "there are a lot of people in the Senate who really care about reducing or maybe even outlawing stem cell research," said Michael Munger, who is an expert in congressional-presidential relations. "On other issues, Frist can't say now that he speaks for the president. This is terribly embarrassing to the Bush administration, particularly because they value loyalty more than most. The Bush administration will consider this a betrayal."

Dr. Geoffrey S. Ginsburg, who is the director of the Duke Institute for Genome Science & Policy's Center for Genomic Medicine, said Frist's decision is encouraging news for those who see therapeutic potential for embryonic stem cells.

"As a physician-scientist, Sen. Frist's decision strikes me as very good news," Ginsburg said. "It remains to be seen whether this will translate into a full-fledged policy shift in this country, but it's certainly an encouraging sign."

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